An story in english
28 English Short Stories with Big Ideas for Thoughtful English Learners
By aromiekim and Dhritiman Ray Last updated:
When it comes to learning English, what if you can understand big ideas with just a little bit of text?
I’m talking about award-winning short stories in English.
Stories are all about going beyond reality, and these will not only improve your English reading but also open your mind to different worlds.
Contents
- 1. “The Bogey Beast” by Flora Annie Steel
- 2. “The Tortoise and the Hare” by Aesop
- 3. “The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse” by Beatrix Potter
- 4. “The Night Train at Deoli” by Ruskin Bond
- 5. “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
- 6. “Orientation” by Daniel Orozco
- 7. “Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu
- 8. “The Missing Mail” by R.K. Narayan
- 9. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
- 10.
“The School” by Donald Barthelme
- 11. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
- 12. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling
- 13. Excerpt from “Little Dorrit” by Charles Dickens
- 14. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
- 15. “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal
- 16. “The Boarded Window” by Ambrose Bierce
- 17. “The Zero Meter Diving Team” by Jim Shepherd
- 18. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
- 19. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
- 20. “Little Red Riding Hood” by The Brothers Grimm
- 21. “A Tiny Feast” by Chris Adrian
- 22. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
- 23. “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams
- 24. “Paul Bunyan,” adapted by George Grow
- 25. “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde
- 26. “Cinderella” by Charles Perrault
- 27. “The Friday Everything Changed” by Anne Hart
- 28. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
- How to Use Short Stories to Improve Your English
- Use Illustrations to Enhance Your Experience
- Listen to Recordings of Stories
- Explore Stories Related to a Theme
- Choose the Right Reading Level
- Practice “Active Reading”
- Choose Only a Few Words to Look Up
- Make Your Own Summary
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
A woman finds a pot of treasure on the road while she is returning from work.
Delighted (very happy) with her luck, she decides to keep it. As she is taking it home, it keeps changing.
However, her enthusiasm refuses to fade away (disappear or faint slowly).
What Is Great About It: The old lady in this story is one of the most cheerful characters anyone can encounter in English fiction.
Her positive disposition (personality) tries to make every negative situation seem like a gift, and she helps us look at luck as a matter of our view rather than events.
This classic fable (story) tells the story of a very slow tortoise (turtle) and a speedy hare (rabbit).
The tortoise challenges the hare to a race. The hare laughs at the idea that a tortoise could run faster than he, but the race leads to surprising results.
What Is Great About It: Have you ever heard the English expression, “Slow and steady wins the race”? This story is the basis for that common phrase.
This timeless (classic) short story teaches a lesson that we all know but can sometimes forget: Natural talent is no substitute for hard work, and overconfidence often leads to failure.
Timmie Willie is a country mouse who is accidentally taken to a city in a vegetable basket. When he wakes up, he finds himself at a party and makes a friend.
When he is unable to bear (tolerate or experience) the city life, he returns to his home but invites his friend to the village.
When his friend visits him, something similar happens.
What Is Great About It: Humans have been living without cities or villages for most of history.
That means that both village and city life are recent inventions.
And just like every other invention, we need to decide their costs and benefits.
The story is precisely (exactly) about this debate. It is divided into short paragraphs and has illustrations for each scene. This is best for beginners who want to start reading immediately.
Ruskin Bond used to spend his summer at his grandmother’s house in Dehradun.
While taking the train, he always had to pass through a small station called Deoli. No one used to get down at the station and nothing happened there.
Until one day he sees a girl selling fruit and he is unable to forget her.
What Is Great About It: Ruskin Bond is a writer who can communicate deep feelings in a simple way.
This story is about our attachment to strangers and why we cherish (value or appreciate deeply) them even though we do not meet them ever again.
Earth has been destroyed by war and no one lives on it anymore.
The robots and the machines continue to function and serve human beings who have long ago died.
What Is Great About It: The title is taken from a poem that describes how nature will continue its work long after humanity is gone.
But in this story, we see that nature plays a supporting role and the machines are the ones who have taken its place.
They continue their work without any human or natural assistance. This shows how technology has replaced nature in our lives and how it can both destroy us and carry on without humanity itself.
This is a humorous story where the speaker explains the office policies, as well as gossip about the staff, to a new employee.
It is extremely easy to read as the sentences are short and without any overly difficult words.
Many working English learners will relate to it as it explains the absurdities (silly moments) of modern office life and how so little of it makes sense.
What Is Great About It: Modern workplaces often feel like theaters where we pretend to work rather than get actual work done.
The speaker exposes this reality that nobody will ever admit to.
He over-explains everything from the view out the office window to the intimate details of everyone’s life—from the overweight loner to the secret serial killer.
It talks about the things that go unsaid; how people at the office know about the deep secrets of our home life, but do not talk about it.
Jack’s mother can make paper animals come to life.
In the beginning, Jack loves them and spends hours with his mom. But as soon as he grows up, he stops talking to her since she is unable to speak in English.
When his mother tries to talk to him through her creations, he kills them and collects them in a box.
After a tragic loss, he finally gets to know her story through a hidden message that he should have read a long time ago.
What Is Great About It: The story is a simple narration that touches on complex issues. It is about leaving your own country with the promise of a better life.
It is also about the conflicts that can occur between families when different cultures and languages collide. In this case, the tension is so high that it destroys the relationship between a mother and her son.
It also has a moving message about never taking your loved ones for granted.
This story is part of R.K. Narayan’s “Malgudi Days” short story collection.
Thanappa is the village mailman who is good friends with Ramanujam and his family. He learns about a failed marriage and helps Ramanujam’s daughter get engaged to a suitable match.
Just before the wedding, Thanappa receives a tragic letter about Ramanujam’s brother. He decides not to deliver it.
What Is Great About It: Despite the best of intentions, our actions can cause more harm to our loved ones than we ever intended.
The story is about the complicated relationships and feelings which are always present in our social circles, but we are often ignorant of them.
The year is 2081, and everyone has been made equal by force.
Every person who is superior in any way has been handicapped (something that prevents a person’s full use of their abilities) by the government.
Intelligent people are distracted by disturbing noises. Good dancers have to wear weights so that they do not dance too well.
Attractive people wear ugly masks so they do not look better than anyone else.
However, one day there is a rebellion, and everything changes for a brief instant.
What Is Great About It: Technology is always supposed to make us better. But in this case, we see that it can be used to disable our talents.
Moreover, the writer shows us how the mindless use of a single value like equality can create more suffering for everyone.
A school teacher is narrating all the recent incidents that have happened on campus.
First, they mention a garden where all the trees died.
Pretty soon deaths of all kinds begin to occur.
What Is Great About It: Most of the adults do not know how to deal with death, even though they want to teach children about it.
It makes us realize how weak our education systems are because they can not help us deal with life’s most basic issues.
Eventually, the students start to lose faith in everything, and the adults have to put on a show of love to make themselves less frightened.
It shows how adults can fail to explain and understand death, and so they just pretend that they do. In this way, the cycle of misunderstanding and avoiding life’s issues continues.
11. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
A mother is telling her daughter how to live her life properly. The daughter does not seem to have any say in it.
What Is Great About It: This may not be technically a story since there is no plot. “Girl” talks about how girls are taught to live restricted lives since childhood.
The mother instructs (tells) her to do all the household chores, indicating that it is her sole purpose (only aim or duty).
Sometimes the mother tells her to not attract attention, to not talk to boys and to always keep away from men.
On the other hand, she hints that she will have to be attractive to bakers and other suitable males in society to live a good life.
This story is about these conflicting ideas that girls face when growing up.
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is about a Mongoose who regularly visits a family in India.
The family feeds him and lets him explore their house, but they worry that he might bite their son, Teddy.
One day a snake is about to attack him when the Mongoose kills it. Eventually, he becomes a part of the family forever.
What Is Great About It: This is a simple story about humans and animals living together as friends. It is old, but the language is fairly easy to understand.
It reminds us that animals can also experience feelings of love and, like humans, they will also protect the ones they love.
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is part of Kipling’s short story collection “The Jungle Book,” which was famously made into a movie by Disney.
If you enjoy the story but need a break from reading, check out this captivating trailer for Disney’s newer version of the movie.
Dorrit is a child whose father has been in prison ever since she could remember. Unable to pay their debts, the whole family is forced to spend their days in a cell.
Dorrit thinks about the outside world and longs to see it (wishes to see it).
This excerpt introduces you to the family and their life in prison.
The novel is about how they manage to get out and how Dorrit never forgets the kindness of the people who helped her.
What Is Great About It: Injustice in law is often reserved for the poor.
“Little Dorrit” shows clearly how it works in society.
It is about the government jailing people for not being able to return their loans, a historical practice the writer hated since his own father was punished in a similar way.
The story reveals how the rich cheat the poor and then put them into prisons instead of facing punishment.
A man travels to a freezing, isolated place called Yukon. He only has his dog with him for company.
Throughout his journey, he ignores the advice other people had given him and takes his life for granted.
Finally, he realizes the real power of nature and how delicate (easily broken) human life actually is.
What Is Great About It: The classic fight between life and death has always fascinated us. Nature is often seen as a powerful force that should be feared and respected.
The man in this story is careless and, despite having helpful information, makes silly mistakes.
He takes the power of natural forces too lightly.
The animal is the one who is cautious and sensible in this dangerous situation. By the end, readers wonder who is really intelligent—the man who could not deal with nature or the dog who could survive?
Sly is a chimpanzee who is much smarter than the other chimpanzees. He loves to play with clay on a potter’s wheel all day and likes to keep to himself.
But one day when the school kids bully him, he loses his temper and acts out in anger. Seeing this, the teacher punishes him and takes away his clay.
What Is Great About It: Sly is a character who does not fit into society. He is too smart for the other chimps, but humans do not accept him. He is punished for acting out his natural emotions.
But the way he handles his rage, in the end, makes him look more mature than most human beings. Nominated for the Hugo award, many readers have connected with Sly since they can see similarities in their own lives.
“The Boarded Window” is a horror story about a man who has to deal with his wife’s death. The setting is a remote cabin in the wilderness in Cincinnati, and he feels helpless as she gets sick.
There’s an interesting twist to this story, and the ending will get you thinking (and maybe feeling a bit disturbed!).
What is Great About It: If you enjoy older stories with a little suspense, this would be a good challenge for you–in fact, until now, it’s still included in a lot of horror story compilations.
It talks about the event that made a hermit decide to live alone for decades, with a mysterious window boarded up in his cabin.
Aside from what actually happens in the story, there’s also a lot of emphasis on psychology and symbolism.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was one of the most deadly accidents in the twentieth century.
This is a story about that event through the eyes of a father and his sons. The family was unfortunate enough to be close to the disaster area.
The story exposes the whole system of corruption that led to a massive explosion taking innocent lives and poisoning multiple generations.
The technical vocabulary and foreign words make this text a little more difficult. However, the story is relatively easy to follow.
What Is Great About It: It is no secret that governments lie to their own people. But sometimes these lies can cost lives.
Very often we accept this as normal, but this tale opens our eyes to the cost of our indifference (lack of concern).
The story is divided into small parts that make it both easy and exciting to read.
The various events are about life in general in what was then known as the Soviet Union. And just like any other good story, it is also about human relationships and how they change due to historic events.
A man brings a magical monkey’s paw from India, which grants three wishes to three people.
When the White family buys it from him, they realize that sometimes you do not want your wishes to come true.
What Is Great About It: Sometimes we wish for things, but we do not think about their consequences.
In this story, the characters immediately regret when their wishes come true because either someone dies or something worse happens.
They realize that they never thought about the ways their wishes could destroy people and their lives.
Mrs. Mallard has heart troubles that could kill her.
When her husband dies, the people who come to give her this news try to do so gently. When she is finally informed, she bursts into tears.
Eventually, she goes to her room and locks herself in.
However, while thinking about the future, she is excited by the idea of freedom that could come after her husband’s death.
After an hour, the doorbell rings and her husband is standing there alive and well. When she sees him, she has a heart attack and dies.
What Is Great About It: Marriages can be like prisons for women.
The one in this tale definitely seems like a heavy burden. Despite her grief, Mrs. Mallard is able to keep herself healthy with the hope of freedom from her husband.
But as soon as she realizes that she will have to go back to her old life, her body is unable to take it.
The story explores the conflicting range of human emotions of grief and hope in a short span, and the impact it can have on a person’s mind and body.
This is a story that every English-speaking child knows. It’s about a little girl who meets a wolf in the forest while going to see her sick grandmother.
The wolf pretends to be her grandmother in order to trick the little girl. There are actually different versions of it, with different endings–the one I’ve linked above is the most popular.
What Is Great About It: “Little Red Riding Hood” is a fairy tale, which is a story for kids that has been traditionally told through generations.
It’s often used to teach children that it’s bad to talk to strangers, since the image of being eaten by a wolf can be very scary.
It has been adapted into different movies and media, and you’ll still hear mentioned in pop culture a lot.
The basic characters are taken from Shakespeare’s famous play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
However, in this story, the plot and the concept are entirely different.
Titania and Oberon are the rulers of fairies who have been dealing with problems in their marriage.
One day they find a human child and decide to adopt him. They hope that this child will help them save their relationship.
However, the child develops a deadly disease and the fairies have no idea what to do since they have never known illness or death.
This is a tragic tale about how they try to understand something they have never seen before and their deep love for a stranger who is so unlike them.
What Is Great About It: The story is able to explore human relationships through imaginary creatures. It explores the grief of parenthood and also the uncertainty of knowing whether your child will ever even know you.
It also beautifully captures the sense of the unknown and the helplessness which every human being faces when faced with it.
Every year, a small town holds an event known as “the lottery” that everyone attends.
During this event, someone from the community is randomly chosen…but for what reason?
What Is Great About It: The story makes you wonder about human behavior, particularly within a group of people.
Perhaps you may have heard of the term “mob mentality” and how it can allow for some pretty surprising things to happen.
This short story is considered to be one of the most famous short stories in American literature.
It shows an example of what is known as a dystopian society, where people live in a frightening way. To learn more, check out this TED-Ed video that tells you how to recognize a dystopia.
A simple, stuffed rabbit toy is given to a young boy as a Christmas present.
At first, the rabbit isn’t noticed, as the boy is distracted by much fancier gifts.
While being ignored, the rabbit begins to wonder what it means to be “real.”
One day, a certain event brings the rabbit into contact with the boy. After that, the toy’s life changes dramatically (a lot).
What Is Great About It: Have you ever loved a toy or doll so much, that you treated it as if it were alive? This story shows the power of love from a very unexpected viewpoint: that of a fluffy stuffed rabbit.
The velveteen rabbit toy is loved dearly by its owner, regardless of how worn out he becomes.
Although this story was made for children, its message is for anyone of any age. The rabbit’s quest (journey) of becoming “real” can be understood in a very human way.
The story shows the importance of self-value, being true to yourself and finding strength in those who love you.
The story of Paul Bunyan has been around in the United States for many years. He’s the symbol of American frontier life, showing the ideal strength, work ethic and good morality that Americans work hard to imitate.
Some sources break down his story into even shorter versions.
What is Great About It: Paul Bunyan is considered a legend, so stories about him are full of unusual details, such as eating fifty eggs in one day and being so big that he caused an earthquake.
It can be a pretty funny read, with characters such as a blue ox and a dog that’s reversible.
This version of the story is also meant to be read out loud, so it’s fast-paced and entertaining.
In the middle of a city is a very fancy, decorated statue of a prince, and it is known as the Happy Prince.
One day, a swallow bird decides to rest on the statue, only to get wet by the tears of the crying statue.
The Prince, as it turns out, is not happy at all. When he was alive and living in his palace, he had no idea how much suffering was happening outside his home.
Now as a statue that stands high above the city, he can finally see the many injustices happening to the people.
At the Prince’s request, the swallow begins to take off pieces of the statue and give them away to the poor. Together, the two work to try and give what aid they can to the less fortunate.
What Is Great About It: It can be easy to ignore people who are struggling and having a hard time. However, it is not good to always “turn a blind eye” and pretend not to notice.
Sometimes, even one good deed (action) can make a big impact on both the person doing it and the person receiving it.
“The Happy Prince” is a story that shows the importance of charity and empathy. These two things can come with a lot of sacrifices, but you can gain a lot in other ways.
The story also points out that you should judge a person not by what they have, but by what they give.
You may already know the story of Cinderella; many people saw the Disney movie or read a children’s book of it.
However, there are actually many different versions of “Cinderella.
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This one by Charles Perrault is the most well-known one and is often the version told to children.
What Is Great About It: “Cinderella” is a loved story because it describes how a kind and hard-working person was able to get a happy ending.
Even though Cinderella’s stepsisters treated her awfully, Cinderella herself remained gentle and humble. It goes to show that even though you may experience hardships, it is important to stay kind, forgiving and mindful.
Because only “strong boys” are allowed to do this, the girls are teased for being “weaker.”
Not only that, but the boys also get more privileges than the girls, such as being the first to get magazines.
One Friday, a girl asks the classroom teacher why girls are not allowed to get water as well. This one question causes a big reaction.
What Is Great About It: One brave act, from one brave person, can cause a big change for the better. In this story, a single girl speaks out against what she thinks is wrong.
Her courage surprises everyone, but she inspires the girls to stand up for themselves against the boys who mistreat them.
The story reflects on gender equality and how important it is to fight for fairness. Just because something is accepted as “normal” does not mean it is right.
At a Spanish train station, an American man and a young woman wait for a train that would take them to the city of Madrid.
The woman sees some faraway hills and compares them to “white elephants.”
This starts a conversation between the two of them, but what they discuss seems to have a deeper meaning.
What Is Great About It: This story is very well-known as a text that makes you “read between the lines”—in other words, you have to try to find a hidden meaning behind what you read.
Much of the story is a back-and-forth dialogue between two people, but you can tell a lot about them just from what they say to each other.
There is a lot of symbolism that you can analyze in this story, along with context clues.
Once you realize what the real topic of the characters’ conversation is about, you can figure out the quiet, sadder meaning behind it.
How to Use Short Stories to Improve Your English
Short stories are effective in helping English learners to practice all four aspects of language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Here’s how you can make the most out of short stories as an English learner:
Use Illustrations to Enhance Your Experience
Some short stories come with illustrations. If you find a short story with illustrations, look at the pictures first to guess what the story is about.
What are they doing in the illustration? What part of the story is illustrated? The illustrations will help you to understand the meaning of the story.
You can even write your own caption or description of the picture. It can be a sentence or one word.
When you look at the story, go back to your image description. How do they relate?
Listen to Recordings of Stories
In our fantastic digital age, it is possible to find wonderful short stories online in audio or video form.
If you find a video with English-language subtitles, you can read while also listening to how a native speaker pronounces words.
Some of the short stories above are available in video format on FluentU, which is an online English immersion program.
In addition to short story video tellings, the program has many types of authentic videos like movie clips, music videos and inspirational talks.
These can help you work on your listening comprehension and pronunciation alongside your reading skills. Each video has interactive subtitles and a video dictionary for unfamiliar words.
For example, here’s a video retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare”:
If you’re doing a review quiz for the content, you have the option of speaking in the answers for some speaking practice.
Explore Stories Related to a Theme
Like novels, short stories can be in any genre you can imagine. Do you like ghost stories? Science fiction? Romance?
You can find short stories, old and new, on the subject that you want.
Some short stories teach a lesson, like fables do. Other short stories use a lot of metaphors or symbolism.
If you’re learning about hobbies, find a short story about something that you like to do. Are you learning about food? Find a short story with a lot of food vocabulary. The list goes on.
Choose the Right Reading Level
First, some short stories are over 5,000 words long while others can be as short as 50. When you’re selecting the right short story for you, you have many different types and lengths to choose from.
If you choose a story that’s too difficult, you’ll spend too much time looking up vocabulary, missing the whole point of the story. If you choose a story that’s too easy, you’ll learn little to no new vocabulary and you may become bored.
Make sure that you always challenge yourself, even if you’re only learning a few new words.
Here’s an easy way to determine if the reading level is right for you.
Choose a paragraph in the story that you want to read.
How many words can you identify?
Try the “five-finger test.” Hold up your fist while you read over the paragraph. Put up one finger for each word you don’t know. If you have all five fingers up before the end of the paragraph, try to find an easier text.
What if you really want to read a story, but the level is too hard? Try to read the story anyway. If the subject interests you, you’ll be motivated to learn the vocabulary you need to understand the story.
Bring the story to your English teacher. He or she will be happy to help you understand the words you don’t know so you’ll be able to enjoy the story on your own.
Practice “Active Reading”
Your reading will only help you learn if you read actively. You are reading actively when you’re paying very close attention to the story, its words and its meanings. Think about the vocabulary and grammar.
Start by looking over the text to get an idea of what the story is about.
Read the text. Try to remember some of the things you read about. Finally, review the text again to get the best understanding.
Afterwards, discuss the story with your teacher and your classmates. If there’s something you don’t understand, write down your questions to ask during the discussion.
Talk about the stories and share your own opinions about the language, culture and messages within the story.
Choose Only a Few Words to Look Up
You don’t need to look up every single word you don’t know. Choose to look up only those words that will help you understand what the paragraph is about.
If there’s a word you don’t know but you know everything else in the sentence, try to guess what the word is about by looking at the whole sentence. You can look this word up later to see if you guessed correctly.
For stories longer than 500 words, take breaks while you’re reading, especially if the vocabulary gets overwhelming. Don’t make yourself too tired, or you’ll become frustrated and give up.
If you find things are getting to be too difficult, walk away for about 15 minutes and come back and try again.
Make Your Own Summary
When you’ve finished reading the story, review it again. Do this later in the same day or the next day to let your reading really sink in. Take notes while you’re reading.
Retell the story or make a summary of the story to get even more practice.
You can make this more challenging by actually using the story as a model for writing your own English story. By writing your own stories, you get more practice in the use of vocabulary and creating your own sentences.
Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning
Short stories are amazing resources for any English learner. That’s because:
- You can read a whole story in one sitting. Attention spans are very important for learning, and short stories are designed to give you maximum information with minimal effort.
- You get more time to focus on individual words.
When a text is short, you can spend more time learning how every single word is used and what importance it has in the piece. - It is best for consistency. It is far easier to read one story every day than trying to read a big novel that never seems to end.
- You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can be read in a single sitting, they are ideal for book clubs and learning circles.
Most of the time these groups do not work because members have no time to read. Short stories are the perfect solution.
- You can focus more on ideas and concepts. Language is less about words and more about the meaning behind them.
If you spend all your time learning vocabulary and grammar, you will never be able to fluently speak a language because you will have little to talk about.
These short stories give you the opportunity to understand big ideas in context.
You can choose almost any short story and get something useful out of it.
Each story has its own special features that you can appreciate.
The best kind of story will be one that is interesting, has a strong message and, of course, helps you to both practice and learn English.
It will be one that leaves an impact, both in your English education and in your imagination.
I hope you have fun with these stories while improving your English.
Happy reading!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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Bedtime Stories | Free 5 Min Bedtime Stories for Kids Online Bedtime Stories
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth.
If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods. Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs.
But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana.
It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years. Who can save her?
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance. . The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
A Cinderella Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
Pinocchio Story ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories in English for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
Beauty and the Beast Classic Tale ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
The classic fairy tale of a beautiful woman and the monstrous beast.
Rumpelstiltskin ~ A Fairy Tale Bedtime Story for Kids
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods.
Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm ~ Bedtime Stories
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
The Sword in the Stone: a King Arthur Legend of the Sword Story
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
The Ugly Duckling Story ~ Fairy Tale Story for Kids in English
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The Frog Prince: The Story of the Princess and the Frog ~ Bedtime Stories
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
The Little Mermaid Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from The Arabian Nights ~ Bedtime Stories
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
Bambi Story: A Life in the Woods ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow Story ~ Legend Stories for Kids
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
Maui from Moana: Tales of the Demi-God ~ Legend Stories for Kids
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana. It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
The Velveteen Rabbit Story ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Snow Queen Fairy Tale Story ~Bedtime Story for Kids
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years.
Who can save her?
The Gift of the Magi Story ~ A Holiday Story for Kids
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
Pocahontas and John Smith Story ~ Folktales Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance. . The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
The Emperor’s New Clothes Story ~ Bedtime Stories
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. The Emperor is fooled into believing he is wearing magic clothes which can’t be “seen”.
Mulan Story ~ Tale of Hua Mulan Bedtime Stories | English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. Based on the “Ballad of Mulan” and Disney’s Mulan, this is a legend tale about a girl who goes in disguise as a boy and joins the army in her brother’s place.
Short Stories for Kids ~ Folk tales, Fairy Tales, Riddles, Legends, Poems
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More From Stories to Grow By
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Teaching Resources from Stories to Grow By
In addition to our bedtime stories, we also offer a multitude teaching resources! This includes over 100 free bedtime stories, fairy tales, folk tales, readers theater play scripts, and performance notes!
You will find the bedtime stories and the materials you need for your classroom with Stories to Grow By.
Funny short stories in English
The child and his mother
A curious child asked his mother: “Mommy, why are some of your hairs turning grey?”
The mother tried to use this occasion to teach her child: “It is because of you, dear. Every bad action of yours will turn one of my hairs grey!”
The child replied innocently: “Now I know why grandmother has only gray hairs on her head.”
Translation:
The child and his mother
A curious child asks his mother, "Mommy, why are some of your hairs turning gray?"
The mother tried to take advantage of the situation and teach her child a lesson: “It's all because of you, dear. Every bad deed of yours makes one of my hairs gray!”
The child answered innocently: "Now I know why my grandmother has only gray hair on her head."
Wrong email address
A couple going on vacation but his wife was on a business trip so he went to the destination first and his wife would meet him the next day.
When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email.
Unfortunately, when typing her address, he mistyped a letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife whose husband had passed away only the day before.
When the grieving widow checked her email, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint.
At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:
Dearest Wife,
Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
Translation:
Wrong e-mail
When he got to the hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email.
Unfortunately, when he typed her address, he missed a letter, and his letter went instead of his wife to the elderly priest's wife, whose husband had died just a day ago.
As the grieving widow was checking her email, she looked at the monitor once, let out a scream of horror, and fell to the floor in a deep faint.
Hearing this sound, the relatives rushed to her room and saw a note on the screen:
Dear wife,
Just checked in. Everything is ready for your arrival tomorrow.PS: It's hot in here.
Will’s experience at the airport
After his return from Rome, Will couldn’t find his luggage in the airport baggage area. He went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that his bags hadn't shown up on the carousel.
She smiled and told him not to worry because they were trained professionals and he was in good hands.
Then she asked Will, “Has your plane arrived yet?”
Translation:
Will's incident at the airport
After returning from Rome, Will could not find his luggage in the luggage compartment of the airport.
He went to the lost and found office and told the woman who worked there that his bags never showed up on the carousel.
She smiled and told him not to worry because they were professionals and he was in safe hands.
Then she asked, “Has your plane arrived yet?”
Clever kids
A police officer found a perfect hiding place for watching for speeding motorists.
One day, the officer was amazed when everyone was under the speed limit, so he investigated and found the problem.
A 10 years old boy was standing on the side of the road with a huge hand painted sign which said “Radar Trap Ahead.”
A little more investigative work led the officer to the boy’s accomplice: another boy about 100 yards beyond the radar trap with a sign reading “TIPS” and a bucket at his feet full of change.
Translation:
Smart kids
A police officer found the perfect hidden spot to watch for speeding motorists.
One day the officer was struck by the fact that all motorists were driving below the speed limit. He investigated and identified the problem.
A 10-year-old boy was standing on the side of the road with a large sign in his hand that read: "Reckless Trap Ahead."
Further investigative work led the officer to the boy's accomplice: he saw another boy standing 100 yards behind the policeman with the radar, with a "Tipping" sign nearby and a bucket at his feet filled with change.
Mouthology
A Professor was traveling by boat. On his way he asked the sailor:
“Do you know Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Geography, physiology?
The sailor said no to all his questions.
Professor: What the hell do you know on earth. You will die of illiteracy.
After a while the boat started sinking. The Sailor asked the Professor, do you know swiminology & escapology from sharkology?
The professor said no.
Sailor: “Well, sharkology & crocodilogy will eat your assology, headology & you will dieology because of your mouthology.
Translation:
Boltology
The professor traveled by boat. During the journey, he asked a sailor:
“Do you know biology, ecology, zoology, geography, psychology?”
The sailor answered "No" to all his questions.
Professor: What do you even know then? You will die of illiteracy.
After some time the boat began to sink. The sailor asked the professor if he knew swimology, rescueology and aculology.
The professor said no.
Sailor: "Well, then sharkology and crocodilology will eat your zadology, cephalology, and you will die of boltology."
Captain
A navy captain is alerted by his First Mate that there is a pirate ship coming towards his position.
He asks a sailor to get him his red shirt.
The captain was asked, “Why do you need a red shirt?”
The Captain replies, “So that when I bleed, you guys don’t notice and aren’s discouraged.” They fight off the pirates eventually.
The very next day, the Captain is alerted that 50 pirate ships are coming towards their boat. He yells, “Get me my brown pants!”
Translation:
Captain
The captain of the navy warned his first officer that a pirate ship was heading towards them. He asked the sailor to get him a red T-shirt.
The captain was asked: “Why do you need a red T-shirt?”
The captain replied, "When I bleed, you guys won't notice and won't be afraid."
In the end, they defeated the pirates.
The next day the captain raised the alarm that 50 pirate ships were approaching their boat. He yelled, "Bring me my brown pants!"
Elephant
The class teacher asks students to name an animal that begins with an “E”.
One boy says, “Elephant.”
Then the teacher asks for an animal that begins with a “T”. The same boy says, “Two elephants.”
The teacher sends the boy out of the class for bad behavior. After that she asks for an animal beginning with “M”.
The boy shouts from the other side of the wall: “Maybe an elephant!”
Translation:
Elephant
The teacher asks students to name an animal that begins with "E". One boy said "Elephant" (elephant).
The teacher then asked for an animal that starts with the letter "T". The same boy said: "Two elephants" (two elephants).
The teacher kicked the boy out of class for bad behavior. After that, she asked to name an animal that starts with "M".
The boy shouted on the other side of the wall: “Maybe an elephant!” (Maybe an elephant).
Interesting short stories in English with translation
Reading short stories in English is one of the most effective language learning methods.
Interesting stories in English with translation help to expand vocabulary and improve grammar. It is also the best practice for practicing learned words and reinforcing the rules.
Here are the benefits of reading stories and stories in English:
- reading stories in English expands vocabulary, allows you to understand the specifics of using many idioms, colloquial phrases, artistic techniques;
- while working with stories in English, the ability to understand the main idea of what is written develops;
- reading stories in English allows you to see the practical application of grammatical structures;
- when reading stories in English, the reader has the opportunity to learn to understand the author's style.
Reading stories in English can significantly increase motivation for learning: understanding a text in a foreign language inspires further learning. When studying English, it is useful to read stories to test your knowledge and ability to understand and interpret foreign speech.
Page Quick Navigation
- Stories Technique
- A Good Lesson
- The Shoebox
- Hit the Floor!
- Will's experience at the airport
- Fortune and the man
- Wrong car
- A Magic Ring
Methodology for working with stories
The selected story should be read briefly for the first time: try to understand the general idea of what was read, do not try to understand every word;
while reading the story in English for the second time, pay attention to interesting words and structures, the use of grammar;
interesting phrases and words from history can be written out in a separate notebook in order to be able to return to them in the future.
If you have difficulty with reading comprehension or do not understand most of it, then most likely you lack theoretical knowledge. In this case, we recommend that you improve your level by taking a free English course from zero to a conversational level for busy people.
For beginners, stories in English with a simple plot and simple grammatical constructions are suitable. These can be stories, fairy tales, comic stories, simple stories and stories about animals, children, travel. We have prepared for you short but interesting stories in English with translation. But the translation is hidden so that you don't peek while reading. Try to understand on your own what the story is about, and only then open the translation.
A Good Lesson
Once a rich Englishwoman called Mrs Johnson decided to have a birthday party. She invited a lot of guests and a singer. The singer was poor, but he had a very good voice.
The singer got to Mrs Johnson's house at exactly six o'clock as he had been asked to do, but when he went in, he saw through a door that the dining-room was already full of guests, who were sitting round a big table in the middle of the room. The guests were eating, joking, laughing, and talking loudly. Mrs Johnson came out to him, and he thought she was going to ask him to join them, when she said, “We’re glad, sir, that you have come.
You will be singing after dinner, I'll call you as soon as we're ready to listen to you. Now will you go into the kitchen and have dinner, too, please?”
The singer was very angry, but said nothing. At first he wanted to leave Mrs Johnson's house at once, but then he changed his mind and decided to stay and teach her and her rich guests a good lesson. When the singer went into the kitchen, the servants were having dinner, too. He joined them. After dinner, the singer thanked everybody and said, "Well, now I'm going to sing to you, my good friends." And he sang them some beautiful songs.
Soon Mrs Johnson called the singer.
"Well, sir, we're ready."
Ready? asked the singer. "What are you ready for?"
"To listen to you," said Mrs Johnson in an angry voice.
Listen to me? But I have already sung, and I'm afraid I shan't be able to sing any more tonight."
"Where did you sing?"
In the kitchen. I always sing for those I have dinner with."
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
One day a wealthy English woman named Mrs.
Johnson decided to throw a birthday party. She invited many guests and a singer. The singer was poor, but he had a very good voice.
The singer arrived at Mrs. Johnson's house at exactly six o'clock, as requested, but when he entered, he saw through the door that the dining room was already full of guests who were sitting at a large table in the middle of the room. The guests ate, joked, laughed and talked loudly. Mrs. Johnson came out to him and he thought she was going to ask him to join them, as she said, “We are glad, sir, that you have come. You will sing after supper, I will call you as soon as we are ready to listen to you. Will you go to the kitchen now and have dinner too?”
The singer was very angry but didn't say anything. At first he wanted to leave Mrs. Johnson's house immediately, but then he changed his mind and decided to stay and teach her and her wealthy guests a good lesson. When the singer went to the kitchen, the servants were also having dinner. He joined them.
After dinner, the singer thanked everyone and said: "Well, now I will sing to you, my good friends." And he sang some beautiful songs to them.
Soon Mrs. Johnson called the singer.
"Well, sir, we're ready."
"Ready?" asked the singer. "What are you ready for?"
"To listen to you," Mrs. Johnson said in an angry voice.
"Listen to me? But I've already sung and I'm afraid I won't be able to sing more tonight."
"Where did you sing?"
“In the kitchen. I always sing for those I dine with.”
The Shoebox
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoebox in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoebox and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two knitted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.
He asked her about the contents.
‘When we were to be married,’ she said, ‘my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and knit a doll.’
The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.
‘Honey,’ he said, ‘that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money?
Where did it come from?’
‘Oh,’ she said, ‘that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.’
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
A man and woman have been married for over 60 years.
They shared everything. They talked about everything. They kept no secrets from each other, except that the old lady had a shoe box on her closet, which she warned her husband about never to open or ask about.
In all these years, he never thought about the box, but one day the old lady became very ill and the doctor said she would not recover.
Trying to sort out their affairs, the old man took off the shoebox and carried it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time for him to know what was in the box. Opening it, he found two knitted dolls and a wad of money totaling $95,000.
He asked her about the contents.
“When we were to get married,” she said, “my grandmother told me that the secret to a happy marriage is never to argue. She told me that if I ever get mad at you, I should just keep quiet and knit a doll.
The old man was so touched; he had to hold back his tears. There were only two exquisite dolls in the box. She was angry with him only twice in all these years of life and love.
He almost burst with happiness.
“Honey,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all that money?
Where is this from?’
“Oh,” she said, “this is the money I made selling dolls.”
Hit the Floor! (Muzzle to the floor!)
Jenny and Robert Slater were on holiday in America. They were young and it was their first time away from home in England. They had a car and visited many famous and interesting places.
‘I want to see New York,’ Jenny said one morning. ‘Let’s go there.’
‘Mmm, I don’t know, love. Everybody says New York’s a dangerous place and there are a lot of very strange people there,’ her husband answered.
‘We’ll be careful,’ said Jenny. ‘Then we won’t have any problems.’
So they arrived in New York early in the evening and found a hotel. Later they went out and drove around the streets. They didn't have any problems. ‘See,’ Jenny said. ‘Nothing to be afraid of.’
They had dinner in a good restaurant and then went to a cinema.
They arrived back at their hotel at midnight. Under the hotel was a garage so they drove into it and left the car. It was quite dark there and they couldn't see very well.
‘Where’s the lift?’ Jenny asked.
‘Over there, I think, near the door,’ Robert answered. ‘Come on, let’s go. I don’t like this dark place.’
Suddenly they saw a very tall young man with a big black dog. They were nervous and walked past him as fast as they could to the lift. The door of the lift opened and Jenny and Robert got in. Before the doors closed the man and the dog jumped in – three people and one big black dog in the lift.
‘On the floor, Girl!’ the tall man said. Jenny and Robert were afraid now, so they quickly got down on the floor. When the lift stopped at the next floor, they stood up, gave the man all their money and got out fast.
‘That man was a robber! Perhaps he had a gun… It’s dangerous here!’ Robert said. ‘We’re going to leave New York now!’
‘Yes, you’re right.
’ Jenny answered. ‘There are some dangerous people in New York.’
First thing next morning they took their room key to the desk and gave it to the woman.
‘There’s nothing to pay, Mr Slater,’ she said. ‘A tall young man with a nice dog came to the desk late last night and paid for your room. Oh, wait a minute – he left this for you, too.’ She gave Robert an envelope.
He opened it carefully and took out a letter. They read it together: ‘Here’s your money and I’m very sorry you were afraid in the lift last night. “Girl” is the name of my dog.’
Jenny and Robert Slater were on vacation in America. They were young and it was their first time away from home in England. They had a car and visited many famous and interesting places.
"I want to see New York," Jenny said one morning. ‘Let’s go there.’
‘Mmm, I don’t know, love. Everyone says that New York is a dangerous place and there are a lot of strange people there,” her husband replied.
"We'll be careful," Jenny said. "Then we won't have any problems."
So they arrived in New York early in the evening and found a hotel. Later they got out and drove through the streets. They didn't have any problems. "See," Jenny said. "Nothing to be afraid of."
They had dinner at a good restaurant and then went to the cinema. They returned to their hotel at midnight. There was a garage under the hotel, so they drove into it and left the car. It was quite dark in there and hard to see.
"Where is the elevator?" Jenny asked.
"There, I think, near the door," replied Robert. 'Let's go. I don't like this dark place.
Suddenly they saw a very tall young man with a large black dog. They were nervous and walked past him as fast as they could to the elevator. The elevator door opened and Jenny and Robert entered. Before the doors closed, a man and a dog ran in—three people and one big black dog in the elevator.
"On the floor, girl!" the tall man said.
Jenny and Robert got scared so they quickly sank to the floor. When the elevator stopped at the next floor, they got up, gave the man all their money, and quickly exited.
“That man was a robber! He might have had a gun... It's dangerous here!" Robert said. "We're leaving New York now!"
"Yes, you're right," Jenny replied. "There are dangerous people in New York."
The first thing they did the next morning was to take the key to their room and give it to the woman.
"Mr. Slater has nothing to pay," she said. "A tall young man with a handsome dog came to the counter last night and paid for your room." Oh, wait a minute - also he left it to you. She gave Robert an envelope.
He carefully opened it and took out the letter. They read together: “Here is your money, and I am very sorry that you got scared in the elevator last night. "Girl" is the name of my dog.
Will’s experience at the airport
After his return from Rome, Will couldn't find his luggage in the airport baggage area.
He went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that his bags hadn't shown up on the carousel.
She smiled and told him not to worry because they were trained professionals and he was in good hands.
Then she asked Will, “Has your plane arrived yet?”
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
After returning from Rome, Will couldn't find his luggage in the luggage compartment of the airport. He went to the lost and found office and told the woman who worked there that his bags never showed up on the carousel.
She smiled and told him not to worry because they were professionals and he was in good hands.
Then she asked: “Has your plane already arrived?”
Fortune and the man
One day a man was walking along the street. He carried an old bag in his hands. He was wondering why people who had so much money were never satisfied and always wanted more. “As to me,” he said, “if I had enough to eat, I should not ask for anything else.
”Just at this moment Fortune came down the street. She heard the man and stopped.
“Listen,” she said, “I want to help you. Hold your bag, and I shall pour diamonds into it. But every diamond which falls on the ground will become dust. Do you understand?”
“Oh, yes, I understand,” said the man. He quickly opened his bag and stream of diamonds was poured into it. The bag began to grow heavy. Is that enough? asked Fortune. “Not yet.” The man's hand's began to tremble.
“You are the richest man in the world now.” Said Fortune.
“Just a few more, and a few more,” said the man. Another diamond was added and the bag slipped. All the diamonds fell on the ground and became dust.
Fortune disappeared, leaving the man in the street.
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
One day a man was walking down the street. In his hands was an old bag. He walked and thought: “Why are people who have a lot of money never satisfied and always want to have more money.
”
"As for me," he thought, if I only had enough to live on, I would not need anything more.
At that moment, Fate was passing by him. She heard the poor man and stopped.
“Listen,” she said, “I want to help you. Give me your bag, I'll fill it with diamonds. But if even one diamond falls to the ground, the entire contents of the bag will turn to dust. Understand?
"Oh, of course I understand," the poor man replied. He quickly opened his bag and the diamonds fell into his bag. The bag was getting heavy.
"Enough?" Fate asked.
"Not yet," the peasant replied, his hands trembling.
"You are the richest man in the world," said Fate.
"More! Some more!" said the poor man.
At this moment, another diamond fell into the overflowing bag.
The bag slipped out of the hands of the poor man and fell to the ground, and the diamonds turned into dust in the same instant.
Fate has disappeared, leaving the poor on the street.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Everyone has heard of Sherlock Holmes.
Everyone has read stories about Sherlock Holmes at one time or another. Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective. Actually, he was the most famous detective of all times. The author of the Sherlock Holmes stories was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Once Sir Arthur arrived in Paris. He took a cab and asked the cabman to take him to the Ritz, the hotel where he was going to spend the night. When he received the fare he said:
“Thank you very much, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
“How do you know who I am?” asked Sir Arthur. He was very much surprised.“Well, sir, I read in the newspaper yesterday that you were coming to Paris from the South of France. I also noticed that your hair was cut by a barber in the South of France. Your clothes and especially your hat told me that you were English. I put all the information together and quessed that you were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
“That is wonderful,” said Sir Arthur.
“You could recognize me though you knew very few facts.”
“Besides,” added the cabman.
Your name is on both of your travel bags. That also helped.”
So, the cabman played a good joke on Conan Doyle.
TEXT TRANSLATION
Everyone has heard of Sherlock Holmes. Everyone has read the Sherlock Holmes stories at one time or another. Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective. In fact, he was the most famous detective of all time.
The Sherlock Holmes stories were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One day Sir Arthur arrived in Paris. He took a taxi and asked the taxi driver to take him to the Ritz, to the hotel where he was going to spend the night. The driver brought him to the hotel. When he got the fare he said
"Thank you very much, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"How do you know who I am?" Sir Arthur asked. He was very surprised.
“Well, sir, I read in the paper yesterday that you were going to Paris from the south of France. I also noticed that you had your hair cut by a barber in the south of France.
Your clothes and especially your hat indicate that you are English.
I put all these facts together and realized that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
"Wonderful," said Sir Arthur. "You were able to recognize me by knowing very few facts."
"Besides," the driver added, "Your name is on both of your travel bags. That helped too."
So the driver played a good joke on Conan Doyle.
A present from the son
Long ago there lived an old woman in England. She had a son who was a sailor. He went to different countries and always brought presents for his old mother.Once he went to China and brought some tea from that country.
At that time tea was very expensive and only rich people could buy and drink it. So the old woman was very happy to have such a nice present. But she didn't know what to do with it as she had never bought tea before. She thought it was a vegetable. She told her friends about her son's present and invited them to taste it with her. At last the day of the tea-party came. The woman called her guests to the dining-room and put a big dish of tea leaves on the table.
The guests began to eat the leaves with salt just as they ate vegetables. Nobody liked it but didn't tell the woman about it and continued to eat the leaves. Some tome later the sailor came into the room. When he saw that all the guests were eating leaves, he smiled. Why are these leaves? Where is the tea?”
“Here it is, my son,” the old woman said.
“And where is the water in which you have boiled the leaves?” asked the man laughing.
“I threw it away, of course,” answered the woman.
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
A long time ago there lived an old woman in England. She had a son who was a sailor. He traveled to different countries and always brought gifts for his old mother. Once he went to China and brought tea from that country. At that time, tea was very expensive, and only rich people could buy and drink such tea. Therefore, the old lady was very happy to have such a nice present. But she did not know what to do with such tea, since she had never bought it before.
She thought it was a vegetable.
She told her friends about her son's gift and invited them to try the tea. Finally the day of the tea party arrived. The woman called her guests into the dining room and placed a large dish of tea leaves on the table. The guests began to eat the leaves with salt, as they did when they ate vegetables. No one liked it, but no one told the old woman about it, but continued to eat the leaves.
Some time later, the son entered the room.
When he saw that all the guests were eating the leaves, he smiled.
“What are you doing?
Why are you eating these leaves?
Where's the tea?
"Here he is, my son," said the old woman.
"Where is the water in which you boiled the leaves?" asked the son, laughing.
"Of course I poured it out," replied the mother.
Wrong car
It happened about a year ago. Our family bought a new car, and parents decided to celebrate it all together in the cafe. We enjoyed great food, had a conversation and a lot of fun.
Dad was happy and he told us many jokes, everybody laughed more and more. We played the fools and couldn't stop. When it was time to go, Dad paid and left cafe to warm up the car, and Mom, her friend, my brother and I lingered in the cafe. When we went out, we realized that it was already dark outside - so we couldn't see well. And the second thing we railsed was the fact that nobody can remember exactly what our new car looks like! But Mom confidently went towards the black car, that was standing nearly. "Oh, Dad is waiting inside, it's ours. Come on".
Just imagine: the company of four very noisy people, singing, talking loudly, laughing out, get into car. Mum turn to driver and exclaimed cheerfully: “Sasha, let’s go!”…The driver looked at us with eyes full of fear and cried out desperatly: “I am not Sasha, I am Egor!!! Who are you?!” Then we, absolutly confused and quiet, get in the right car, we told Dad about it. He couldn't drive for 5 minutes becouse of laughing.
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
This happened about a year ago.
Our family bought a new car and parents decided to celebrate it in a cafe with the whole family. We ate delicious food, chatted and laughed. Dad was happy and told jokes one after another, everyone laughed non-stop. We played the fool and couldn't stop. When it was time to leave, my dad paid and went to start the car, but my mom, aunt, brother, and I were delayed. When we left, we realized that it was already dark, and in the dark we were not very good at orienting ourselves. The second thing we found was that no one remembers exactly what our new car looks like! But Mom walked confidently to the nearest black car. “So dad is already waiting for us, this is our car, let’s go.”
Just imagine: a company of four very noisy people, singing, talking loudly and laughing, tumble into a car. Mom turns to the driver and joyfully exclaims: “Sasha, let's go!” ... The driver looked at us with eyes full of horror and cried out desperately: “I'm not Sasha, I'm EGOR! Who are you all?!” And we, completely embarrassed and hushed, finally got into the right car and told dad about it.
For another 5 minutes he could not move from his place from laughter.
A Magic Ring
Once upon a time there lived a young farmer. He worked very hard but was very poor. One day when he was far from home in the forest, an old woman looking like a peasant came up to him and said, “I know you work very hard, and all for nothing. I will give you a magic ring! It will make you rich, and your work won't be in vain. When you turn the ring on your finger and say what you wish to have, you'll have it at once! But there is only one wish in the ring, so think carefully before you wish."
The astonished farmer took the ring given to him by the peasant woman, and went home. In the evening he came to a big city. There he went to a merchant and showed him the magic ring. When the merchant heard the astonishing story, he thought of a plan. He invited the farmer to stay in his house for the night. At night he came up to the sleeping peasant, carefully took the ring off the man's finger, and put on another ring, which looked exactly like the one he had taken off.
In the morning when the farmer had gone away, the merchant ran into his shop, shut the door, and said while turning the ring on his finger, "I wish to have a hundred thousand pieces of gold." And down they came, on his head, shoulders, and arms, like a rain of gold! The frightened merchant tried to get out of the shop, but in vain. In a few minutes he was dead.
When the farmer returned home, he showed the ring to his wife. "Take a look at this ring," he said. "It's a magic ring! It will make us happy.”
The astonished woman could hardly say a word "Let's try. Maybe the ring will bring us more land,” she said at last.
“We must be careful about our wish. Don't forget there's only one thing that we may ask for," he explained. “Let’s better work hard for another year, and we’ll have more land.”
So they worked as hard as they could and got enough money to buy the land they wished to have.
Then the farmer's wife thought of asking for a cow and a horse.
They discussed the matter more than once.
“My good wife,” said the farmer, “we shall get a horse and a cow without the ring.”
They went on working hard for a whole year and again bought the things they wished to have.
"What happy people we are!" said the farmer.
“I don’t understand you,” answered his wife angrily. "There's nothing in the world that we can't have, and still we spend days and nights working as hard as before, because you don't want to use your magic ring!"
Thirty, then forty years had gone by. The farmer and his wife had grown old. Their hair became as white as snow. They were happy and had everything they wanted. Their ring was still there. Although it was not a magic ring, it had made them happy. For you see, my dear friends, a poor thing in good hands is better than a fine thing in bad hands.
TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT
Once there lived a young farmer. He worked very hard, but was very poor. One day, when he was away from home in the forest, an elderly woman who looked like a peasant came up to him and said: “I know you work very hard, and everything is in vain.
I will give you a magic ring! It will make you rich and your work will not be in vain. When you turn the ring on your finger and say what you want to have, you will get it right away! But there is only one wish in the ring, so think carefully before you wish.”
The surprised farmer took the ring given to him by the peasant woman and went home. In the evening he arrived in a big city. There he went to the merchant and showed him the magic ring. When the merchant heard the amazing story, he conceived a plan. He invited the farmer to stay at his house for the night. At night, he approached the sleeping peasant, carefully removed the ring from the man's finger, and put on another ring, which was similar to the one he had taken off.
In the morning, when the farmer left, the merchant ran to his shop, closed the door, and turning the ring on his finger, said, "I want to have one hundred thousand gold coins." And they rained down on his head, shoulders and arms like golden rain! The frightened merchant tried to get out of the store, but in vain.
